Prowling; the Man-Eating Fiend
Everything is Business A woman, with lengthy rose hair, adorned in the finest of red silk garments, was walking towards a large door. The door, riddled with several blood-traced ornaments, was something that would continue to cause this woman's eyebrows to be raised, no matter how many times she would visit. This woman proceeded to look around at her surroundings - the residence of the Mizukage. It was a large, almost palace-like area, realistically. The building stretched on to what appeared to be the clouds, with various roofs and separate branches from the main building. Colored in a deep, but strangely luminescent blue, all the woman could do was simply smile at the situation she was faced with. "My dreams...they lie with the proper exploitation of this man. I should be careful as to how I act." She thought, before approaching the guards that stood by the door. "Hello there, fine swordsmen." The woman entranced them with her flattering words, catching their attention: "My name is Yaeka Sakamori, and I have an appointment with the Mizukage. Might I be allowed entry?" The woman, who revealed herself as Yaeka Sakamori, patiently waited for the response of the guard. Isonade sat in a shadowed corner, watching as her lord paced back and forth. His royal appearance unmatched by all except god. A golden eye next to a silver, forming his connection to the sun that rises and moon that sets. Warrior tattoo's covering his bare body above silk bottoms worth more than the lives of many. His steps were graceful. A ghostly dance only taught to nobility. Yet stern as an emperor. "You see Isonade, we exist in a world where one," He pulled out a golden coin. "is made up of two halves. And it is impossible to rule both halves from a single side." Her lord held his coin so she could see only tails. "What you see is the half you control, and what I see is what I am in command of. A true leader knows this. Many, like his foolishness, thought securing power meant erasing the other half completely. Impossible." "So how do you secure power then." Isonade asked, crossing her legs. "Simple. You make friends with the person who controls the other side, and create a bridge. A peephole of sorts through the words of each other. With this trust," Muzai's personal guard knocked on his door. "One can see both sides of the coin." He nodded to his now open door, sending his guard to retrieve their lucky guess. He also waved his hand, a signal which caused Isonade to walk out of his room. Yaeka walked in; a stride of unmatched elegance. Her footsteps were soft, but they had power behind them, as did her eyes. It only took her a few moments, but even in those small lapses of time, the Empress' power shone beyond belief. As she reached an appropriate distance from the man, Muzai Kaguya, she tilted her head downward in a show of subservience. "It is an honor, Lord Mizukage." Yaeka's tone of reverence echoed briefly, before she raised her head once again. "Shall we get down to business immediately? The boy told me it was a rather urgent meeting." Muzai bowed as well and pulled out a chair. "My Lady, it is an honor to finally make your presence in person." He, himself, sat on his Mizukage's chair, one shared with many great shinobi of old. From beneath the desk, he pulled out few papers and files each carefully printed with special ink. A unique symbol was imprinted on each cover page, alongside a single word...Corrupted Sky. "I called this meeting to discuss a matter urgent issue, for both of us." His chair croaked as he leaned further back. "I know that you hold a hand in Kirigakure's largest syndicate. And as much as I wish to erase all crime, I know it is impossible. The shadow realm will always exist. Things done in the dark never illuminated," He chuckled. "A world outside of my reach. It is for this reason I wish to form somewhat of an allegiance with you. You see, I cannot secure my empire if I have enemies in the dark. And you cannot rise to power if you have such a large adversary." Muzai rubbed his head while holding a file upwards for her to see. "What do you know about Meido?" "Thank you." Yaeka softly replied, before taking the seat she was offered. She briefly looked at the man she was dealing with: "Handsome features, although the haughtiness is a tad bit annoying, despite being expected. Also...he needs to get rid of the flamboyance - sleek and classy is how I work with things. Now...I should probably stop analyzing his experience." Yaeka told herself internally, chuckling slightly at the comment made by Muzai. "Ah yes, the light and shadow. You can't get rid of them, the Tenchikaimei, ruled by a rather...peculiar man." Yaeka responded, before addressing the most vital point of the conversation. "Ah, yes, Meido..." Yaeka began to respond, "Meido are a rather...unique criminal organization. They state that they deal with all areas of the criminal underworld, and...they believe themselves to be a family of sorts. They have a unique spider-like network, making them particularly difficult to evade...but surprisingly easy to contact. And their leader...is a member of the Kurama Clan. Is there something you would like from them, Lord Mizukage?" The Empress rose her eyebrows towards Muzai's innate curiosity about the subject. Perhaps she would have a chance to gain his favor? "Meido has accomplish something that no other organization, whether dark or light could. They created a spider web composed of living, breathing connections. They have surpassed the title of organized crime. It is almost a religion following its own laws and traditions." Muzai opened his fist file. Revealing a massive list of KNOWN members and associates. Almost rivaling that of a village. From the farthest of lands, to Kirigakure itself. "Before my days as Kage, I stumbled upon a story told in whispers. Meido had been created here, in this very nation and expanded outwards. Consuming every field of criminal activity. But they did it not for the money. It is said the higher ups can burn a boatload of gold and still smile. They do it because its a philosophy to them, a way of living. And as seen with previous cults, controlling something so large borders impossible." Muzai closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Almost showing true fatigue. "So I sent my best men to explore and gather what they could. In these files," He closed his folders. "are all the locations of Meido's top targets, as well as where you could find their head. He is a powerful shinobi, a master of genjutsu as you said. Eliminate them and take whatever you wish." He leaned back, revealing more of an openness. "But this is not for free. You see, the village out there, my creation, is protected from those who wish it harm. I stand on the front line of every battle and slaughter all in my path. But the Kachiku grow restless. And if they align with the underworld, there is no say what I might have to do..." A sigh escaped his lips. "I wish not to resort to genocides...It'll end with another me being morphed. So I will grant you control over the Kachiku's lifestyle, let you do as you wish, as long as they do not interfere with Kirigakure." Yaeka simply sat in contemplation, "If Muzai states that their lifestyle is as it is...is it possible that..." Yaeka paused for a moment and addressed Muzai's words, "Now that is a highly interesting story...Definitely, the Meido appears to be more of a cult than an organized crime section, which makes it...far more difficult to deal with, in my opinion." Yaeka looked upon the list of members, and was momentarily perplexed. "All of these individuals...heh, so I wasn't wrong after all.' Yaeka then, almost maliciously, smiled. She looked upon Muzai, concealing her devious intentions with an illusory facade, "But of course. I have only rumors of your manner of conquest and protection - I am quite impressed. Never before have I seen a Mizukage as dedicated as you," Yaeka than internally thought, "Albeit I've never seen one so...idealistic. Although maybe the First was similar...in a different way." Continuing on with her sentence, "Therefore, I will gladly take on the forces that plague your mind. Be assured, within a week, your mind will be rest assured." She confidently asserted, and then sat back in even greater contemplation, "Taking back what's mine...how fitting, for an Empress such as myself."